POSTINGS: Adam's Kedleston; Mansion in Retrospect

By LISA W. FODERARO

Published: June 28, 1987

Kedleston Hall, a neo-Palladian mansion in Derbyshire, England, created by Robert Adam, the 18th-century architect and designer, is a treausure of the British National Trust and a must-stop for travelers in the English countryside.

But for those unable to make a visit, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum has put together an exhibition, ''Robert Adam and Kedleston: The Making of a Neo-Classical Masterpiece.'' The show, with architectural drawings of the mansion by Adam and watercolors and oil paintings by others, opens Tuesday and runs through Sept. 20.

''His architecture was extremely influential here in the United States, in particular his interior decoration, which was considered the most elegant and graceful one could have,'' said Elaine Dee, the curator for drawings and prints, of the architect.

The three-story stone mansion, which was built in 1765 as the main house of the Curzon family, has two wings, a 42-foot central dome and an entrance hall measuring 67 by 42 feet with 17 fluted columns. Information: 860-6868.

Drawing by Robert Adam of State Dressing Room for Kedleston Hall in Cooper-Hewitt Museum exhibition (Courtesy of Royal Oak Foundation)